jessica rae blog

The ABC’s of [my semester abroad] Travel

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:24:20 +0000

A special treat for you because I spent a whole 3 and a half months in Europe and didn’t tell you anything.

The ABC’s of Travel inspired by Twenty Something Travel

Age you went on your [current] international trip

Best [foreign] beer you’ve had and where

Bishops Finger at the Sun near Bethnal Green, London, England. This was a trip that I had the chance to meet up with a friend, so it wasn’t just some pub that I happened upon on the street. It was a local taking me to a local place, you automatically get extra points for that in my book.

~~Brugge~~ Belgium also had amazing beer.

Cuisine (favorite) [or meal while I was abroad]

This one is tricky. The best meal that I had was the Southern night that was put together by my friends at the Chateau. We came together to make a delicious southern meal, it definitely helped that it was all made by friends.

When I went to Nice, France, I had these amazing hushpuppy-like, crab cake things from a street vendor. They were delicious.

Even though London is not known for it’s culinary excellence, I quite like fish and so the fish and chips that I had at the Old Monk were impeccable and a big hit.

Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why

Favorite – [In Order]

London, England – it’s hard to describe a place like London when it’s not necessarily the most beautiful city, nor that exotic; something about a big bustling city and charming folk like the British, is just picture perfect. A scene that I think I would love to see everyday…

Brugge, Belgium – After finding out that my friends and I had just left Brussels, our bartender/receptionist quickly responded, “Brussels is rubbish, Brugge is the best.” Though I don’t necessarily agree that Brussels was bad, I can’t argue with the statement that Brugge is the best, because as a matter of fact, it is. It’s a beautiful, old, small town, that I would love to get to know like the back of my hand. Quite the opposite from London in size.

Least Favorite

Honestly, there wasn’t one place that I had a horrible time in, but for the sake of keeping it lively, here are my least favorite picks:

Munich, Germany – I’m not sure what to say. I had a great time at Oktoberfest, I love the people of Germany, but something about Munich just felt dull.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – It is too touristy, and there was not enough charm to cancel out the Red Light District.

Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”

Christmas Markets are this beautiful novelty in Europe. Originally coming from Germany, the “Christmas Capital” made it’s way to Strasbourg, where I was living. Though, some complain that it’s too touristy and commercial, I thought it was tastefully done and just a wonderful thing! I’ll have to admit Christmas in America will never live up to my expectations now.

Favorite mode of transportation

It will forever be flying, though I quite like trains…and taxis. Oh, and trams. It’s hard to choose, really. As long as i’m not driving I’m happiest.

Greatest feeling while traveling

Figuring out where you are and where you’re going. I love knowing locations!

Hottest place you’ve traveled to [or the time when I realized that I was unprepared for the weather]

Seeing as though it became fall upon my arrival to Europe, the hot days were at the beginning in Strasbourg when I hadn’t packed any summer clothes, in preparation for a frigid winter.

However, sleeping in a tent in September in Munich was the coldest night i’ve had in my life. I did not expect it to be that cold, I was wearing a dress just that day! I was very underprepared!

Incredible service you’ve experienced and where

Every hostel ever. They have THE best customer service and I was very pleased with all of my stays while abroad. My particular favorite was the Snuffel Backpacker in Brugge, and then of course there was the Tent in Munich, but how can you really complain about a place you stay for Oktoberfest – It was Oktoberfest!

Journey that took the longest

London, England. After two trains and a bus to the Karlsruhe Flughafen (airport), and boarding the plane, we were told that because of some mysterious cut wire our flight would be delayed 12 hours. And so there we sat/slept in the airport terminal, it was nothing like the movie. We finally took off at 9:30 AM the next day.

Keepsake from your travels

I’m not very good at buying trinkets, I hate trinkets. So I have a few worthless postcards, one or two keychains. So, instead, I purchased things that I knew of, a Freitag bag from the Freitag store in Zurich, a Pantone espresso cup and saucer from the Pantone hotel in Brussels, a French copy of Looking For Alaska from a bookstore in Strasbourg, a Doctor Who book from the Comic Book Museum in London. And then my favorite keepsakes are packed away into my travel moleskin, clippings and memories from my travels.

Let-down sight, why and where

Amsterdam. I thought it would be as endearing as Brugge, or as Venice, but it’s not. I either spent too many days in Amsterdam, or didn’t do enough research, because I found that there’s not a lot to do here and my days were not packed full with sightseeing. Rather, they were packed full with roaming around with thousands of other tourists.

Moment where you fell in love with travel [again]

When I went to Paris for the third time. I actually wasn’t excited about this trip, because I had fallen out of love with France and with Paris. There was nothing really left for me to see here, but when I arrived I realized that I knew just a little bit more of the city than most and this familiarity excited me and I became a tourist again. Noticing the things that I hadn’t noticed before, very miniscule things, but things that changed my perception. I realized that it was a big, beautiful, romantic city that even I couldn’t hate if I wanted to.

Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in

When my parents came we stayed in proper hotels, not hostels. It was a nice change, it was an even nicer change when we were upgraded from the Hotel Fantasia to the Hotel Sonne. (We had a bathtub…all you need is a tub to win me over.)

Nicest Hostel was in Basel, Switzerland…it’s kind of impossible to be in grimy place in in Switzerland!

Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?

Cobblestoned streets…I probably have more photos of cobblestoned streets than my computer can handle.

Passport stamps, how many and from where?

11 Stamps. Atlanta-3, Amsterdam-2, Frankfurt-2, Karlsruhe-2, Charles De Gaulle-2, Standsted/London-1

Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where

I didn’t really do any weird attractions…I went to the Zurich zoo, that’s about as exciting as it gets. I had this great idea that I would try to go to every zoo that crossed my path, but then walked through this zoo and quickly realized that zoo’s are smelly and depressing.

Recommended sight, event or experience:

Christmas Markets in Strasbourg and Germany, of course!

Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:

Food and beverage. Wine and beer, desserts and gelato. I’ll always leave room for this.

Touristy thing you’ve done

Everything. I was a tourist and I was fine with it.

Unforgettable travel memory

Oktoberfest. It was a great way to kick off my traveling excursions.

Visas, how many and for where?

Just one visa, for France.

Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?

The best glass of wine that I had was probably…hmm, I cannot tell a lie, I didn’t drink that much wine while I was abroad this time around, it was all about the beer.

Xcellent view and from where?:

Best view that I saw was on Montparnasse business building in Paris, France. I was able to see everything! That, or the view of Old Nice from the cliff…that was an incredible view.

Years [months/days] spent traveling?

3 months and 19 days.

Zealous sports fans and where?

Germans. They are nuts!

Links:

Photos -

Another Year Another Home : Strasbourg

Another Year, Another Home : The Classics

Class Blogs -

Tagged: european crossroads, france, oktoberfest, study abroad, travel

Oh, Salut. Yes, I Forgot About You.

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:02:19 +0000

I’m in France. Again. And I’ll be here until December 19th.

Why am I here? Well, I thought I was here to study, but to be honest I only have one day of classes out of the entire week. So, there’s that. We could also say that I’m taking a gap semester, but still getting credits for school. Not sure that that counts though either. Let’s just say I’m in France, kind of studying, kind of traveling, kind of eating and drinking…and having lots of fun.

It’s been a long time since we’ve chatted. So here’s a short timeline of what’s been going on since…the 15th of July.

15 July – Harry Potter midnight premiere, where it all ended.
23 July – Went to Lake Blue Ridge with my family, which I’m sure I received strange tan lines like always.
15 July – Septoplasty round 3 – which I’m almost 85% sure it was successful.
9 Aug – Got my Visa approved
15 Aug – I turned 21
19 Aug – I realized that I only have 12 days until I leave for France.
26 Aug – Last day of working at North Point with my brother.
30 Aug – Leave for France until December.
4 Sept – Trip to Colmar, France
5 Sept – Council of Europe
7 Sept – Court of Human rights
8 Sept – European Parliament
12 Sept – I met a snail names Jean Jacque Pierre François Benoit Gary Alfred
17 Sept – Happy 75th Birthday to my Papa!
18 Sept – Went to Basel, Switzerland
20 Sept – I find a Mexican restaurant in Strasbourg that’s not rubbish.
22 Sept – I head to Munich for Oktoberfest for one night…good night.

(Yes, I did take this timeline from Twitter (which has pictures) and shortened it – http://twitter.com/#!/jessicarae

And now here we are 27 Sept. I have class today, and I thought that I would update you a little on what’s going on. I’ll try to do better at this for next time.

If you’d like to read one of my required blog posts from my class here are the links :

Oktoberfest! Ja!

When Worlds Collide

Tagged: colmar france, european parliament, france, Harry Potter, oktoberfest, strasbourg

A Book that Changed My Life

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:31:53 +0000

We are only as strong as we are united

(originally posted January 20, 2011 here - http://www.plinky.com/answers/128848)

Harry Potter.

Now I know what you’re thinking…this silly young girl thinks Harry Potter changed her life? Oh how she needs to get her head out of the clouds.

I never liked to read. Actually, I hated it. Forcing me to read a certain number of books in grade school only made it worse.

When I was 16 I had really started becoming my own. I was over being in high school and I was doing things because I wanted to, not because adults made me do them. I cared about my classes, really, for the first time, and I realized I liked to learn.

Over the summer between my junior and senior year the fifth Harry Potter movie was coming out. I had been a huge movie fan, but had never touched the books. The previews were doing a less than satisfactory job of explaining to me what this “Order of the Phoenix” was about. And my mother with a not so sharp memory, couldn’t explain what happened.

So I picked it up. This 870 page book I began to read, it was going to be a challenge, but I really wanted to know what to expect. I read, and read and read for days. It took me 5 days to read it; incredible, considering books with 200 pages max that I was required to read I never actually finished. Once I finished I felt exhilarated, I realized I had been missing out on something great.

And for the next two weeks I read every harry potter book that had been published. I loved every minute of it. Now I love to read. That was a life changing book and moment for me.

——-

The media has been building up to this moment. The time has gone too fast, but now we’re here, at the end. The last movie. It all ended last night at 2:22 AM. I try not to be an overly-emotional person, I’m easily angry and easily excited. But last night I was nostalgic and sentimental, something was ending and I didn’t want it to. I was walking into a theater knowing in 2 and a half hours I would leave with a closing of an era. The movie was incredible, seeing Hogwarts one last time, all to pieces, sent me through flashbacks to the beginning. Harry Potter has meant so much to me and I owe a lot to Jo Rowling for what she’s brought to my life.

Tagged: Harry Potter

That Question That Needs to Be Answered

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:30:58 +0000

I’ve put it off, again and again, that is, writing my study abroad essay. You’d think that this would be something easy to write, knowing me especially, something that I devote my whole life to, having new experiences. But this college business has seriously put a block on my creative juices, I’m taught to write a minimum of opinions, unless of course scholars have a similar opinion.

So they ask me, ”Why are you interested in this program?”

What a nondescript question. There are countless reasons why I’m interested in a program that resides in France and studies the European Union. And yet here I am, having no idea what to say.

—–

Would you believe that this blog post was written on March 28, 2011? And there were 500 more words on it than there are now.

I’ve deleted it, only because, I never had any intention of posting this blog. It was an exercise for me, one that allowed me to write an essay how I would write a blog post, how I actually write. And then of course afterwards, edit. edit. edit.

But it’s June 26th! And i’m going to France in 2 months. I am elated!

A Hopeful New Year Ahead

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:37:46 +0000

It’s the new year and I can already see that it is going to be a good one. Based on the end of 2010 I can only hope that things continue to fall into a place where it makes me happy.

Lots of things soon to happen, I hope. I will keep you updated. (note: no new year resolutions for that task). But truly, I hope there will be things for me to share with you guys.

Classes begin monday and I am ready to take it on full speed in this new year.

happy new year friends.

Tagged: 2011, new year

over the moon with happiness.

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:29:18 +0000

Last week I went back to West Georgia to support a friend in an event she was participating in. As I watched these people, some friends, some friends of friends, I saw them engage in this camaraderie. I wasn’t jealous of the time i’d missed here, rather I was overcome with anticipation to get back to my life here in Atlanta. I couldn’t wait for it to be over to get back home.*

When I move, it takes awhile for me to feel like i’m not missing out on what’s happening back where I was. In August, I had visited my friends in Carrolton quite a few times and had really started to miss it, and felt like i was missing out. (The familiar is an easy thing to miss). But once school started, I had a regular routine and I was getting my bearings I stopped visiting. (Which is normal for me to move on and live life where I am).

Until recently, I hadn’t realized how much I really love where I am and who I am with. I can’t think of a time where I was this happy with the things I am surrounded by. I can’t put a finger on it, but what is in my life right now is really the best i’ve felt. My home in Decatur couldn’t be better, my friends, my proximity to family, and this constant musical background following me around.*

At the middle of the semester I had a very hard time, where I felt so happy (giggly even-hysterical maybe?) and yet thought I was incredibly miserable. But i’m thinking I had these new emotions that I didn’t know how to name and it turns out it is happiness.

*This is not to say, I didn’t enjoy my time while I was there. I just knew where I belonged.

*ukulele, piano, kathryn bane, christmas music. <3

-it could always be the christmas spirit that’s doing this.

-i’m happy, how are you?

Tagged: atlanta, decatur, happiness, happy, music, ukulele

do something mad.

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:07:22 +0000

oh wait, you probably already did.

in short, today is mad hatter day, meaning acknowledging the madness that makes sense on every other day. what is something you do daily that is nonsense. it’s something that seems sane, but really isn’t.

for me it is the hours i spend on the computer. half of my day seems to be on the internet, i can argue how amazing the internet, which it is, but it is a serious time waster for me.

how to be happy.

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 03:34:41 +0000

Ukulele
how can you be sad when you’re playing a ukulele?

The Beatles
any mood in the world can be sung through a beatles tune.

Roommates
when you have roommates alike to yourself, you get nothing done. but that’s a good problem to have.

Laughing
life would not be worth living if i didn’t laugh.

how i’m doing.

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:50:49 +0000

hi friends. sorry for the hiatus.i write things a lot, at least once a week, i call them short essays for class. it’s a lot of work and takes a lot of brain power. that’s where my writing energy goes.

to that and this new thing i found called plinky that inspires people to write each day by giving them a topic. this website is pretty cool, i like writing so it’s kind of awesome. so i do write, i just don’t post it here.

i think i’ll start posting some of them here if anyone would be interested let me know!

i got a job finally. i start tomorrow (10/3/2010) at a coffee shop.

things are good.

Tagged: life is good, plinky

life update!

Jessica Rae Fitzgerald — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:29:29 +0000

i’m starting school very soon. and i am so completely ready. i don’t know what i would’ve done all summer if i had been in GA for the month of june. i’m excited for this year. new school, new city, new home.

that’s right, i’m renting a house with 2 other girls in decatur. it’s fabulous. i love decatur and i am so glad that i’ll get to be here for the next year.

i’m no longer a teen. i turned 20 last sunday and it feels no different. ages are becoming boring, which is expected i guess. but my birthday was amazing, i spent it with some friends from my previous school. we had a ball. oh an i did receive this amazing record player from a lovely friend. truly, life is grand.

life will soon be picking back up, so either i will have no time to blog or i will be blogging a lot keeping you updated.